Mad Dash
by KSlycke08
Summary: One morning, two houses and the differences between. Part 6 of my 'Playing House' series. More serious.


One morning, two houses and the differences between.

My story, their characters, 'Nuff said!

Mad Dash

The morning sun rose like a beacon through the shade of the maple tree inadvertently throwing shadows across the living room and pinpointing its light at the end of the staircase where the lone painting hung like an epitaph in the living room. Silently it stood and watched as the accidental family moved throughout their days where every morning it was the first one to feel the initial beams of sunlight and every evening it was the last one to watch that same radiance fade to darkness.

It was to some a simple painting probably hung to hide imperfections in the wall but in the Brotherhood House it signified something else and like a sentinel it stood and watched as the day began.

"Goddammit, get your asses down here now!"

"We're coming!" Someone yelled from the second floor well above where the painting hung with what sounded like a mouthful of toothpaste.

"Oh shit, we're gonna be late."

"Get a move on it, Cajun!"

"Yeah, yeah."

So was the morning mad dash as the Brotherhood and the Acolytes raced down the stairs and past the simple painting on their way to school. No one ever noticed it anymore and today was no exception. Throwing on jackets and pulling on shoes everyone rushed past without a pause or glance in their hurry to begin the day.

"I can't believe you overslept!"

"Me? I'm not the one who didn't set the alarm."

"Who needs an alarm? You _always_ wake up early."

"I was tired!"

Ignoring Creed's excuses Raven decided to focus her frustration on the other six occupants of the Brotherhood House. Just because they had woke up late didn't mean the kids didn't have to take responsibility for oversleeping, too.

For reasons no one wanted to get into the two most responsible adults in the house had woke up late and now they were busy trying to get the kids up and moving and out the door.

At first it was midnight and then two o'clock and after that they tried to convince themselves that they could always get four or five hours of sleep before the day began but they were having too much fun at the time to think about such basic things as getting the kids ready for school.

"I _said_!" She yelled instead.

"I heard you!" Someone yelled back upstairs.

"Hey, yo, we gotta get a move on." Toad said hopping down the stairs. He hated it when anyone fought regardless of the reason and like the good kid and mascot he was he tried to keep the peace.

"Yeah, figure it out later I got a test today." Pietro said from the stairs. Running interference for Creed and Raven was the last thing he wanted to do when he was already late.

"Could just skip." Gambit said casually.

He didn't particularly care for school and as far as he was concerned the streets of New Orleans had taught him everything he needed to know but for the sake of keeping up appearances he had agreed to attend Bayville High.

"I cannot skip." Piotr said.

Unlike the rest of the Brotherhood or the Acolytes he actually took high school seriously and his grades were very important to him. Today was no exception and excluding Kitty Pryde he was determined to stay at the top of his class.

"Relax, we'll get there on time." Creed grumbled. He hadn't rammed into the Berlin Wall back in the day to be late for something as simple as High School.

In reality except for the smell of pimple cream and overly pungent shower gel he could have been on a special op again and with vicious intent he revved the engine and gritted his teeth as if the entire MfS were after him.*

"Get in." Raven ordered.

She was just as tired as Creed but as Vice Principle of Bayville High she still had her job to do. The one good thing about her was that at least she was a shape shifter and could hide her appearance.

She was just pissed that Creed had kept her up all night in the first place.

Groaning she opened the door and climbed into her usual spot in the passenger seat and buckled up. Behind her the Brotherhood and Acolytes sat in the back seat while Creed revved the engine.

"Does this mean we don't get any breakfast?" Freddy asked from the back.

"Goddammit Freddy!"

"Just askin'." He mumbled. In Freddy's world food meant a lot especially when people were nervous or fighting.

"Crap, I forgot my homework."

"Grrrrr…….."

"You're kidding me." Raven groaned covering her eyes.

For about the fifth time that morning she asked herself why she agreed to ever look after a bunch of high school kids.

"I'll be right back."

"Well hurry it up!" She said.

For his part Creed kept revving the engine and watching the clock on the dashboard move slowly forward later and later.

Gritting his teeth again he waited for Pietro to run out with his homework giving an occasional glance at Raven that seemed to scream 'I told you so! I told you we weren't cut out for this normal crap!'

In fact, it was almost too late and Creed had already begun backing out of the driveway before he slammed the door. Creed even had half a mind to leave him there and make him run to school but with a squeal of tires he backed out of the drive and without even waiting for the truck to process his commands he shifted into overdrive and headed towards the High School.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Elsewhere on the other side of town

The right side of the tracks were exactly that for the Children of the Atom.

Living in a spacious mansion where perhaps the most inane arguments involved which cashmere sweater to wear or what flavor of toaster strudel to have that day, the X-Men awoke on time and refreshed to begin the day.

In their world, Cerebro woke them promptly at 6:30 where they would always have their homework finished and ready to turn in, breakfast would be waiting for anyone that wanted it, and the coffee would be fresh and hot as they got ready for school.

After all it was always like that and they didn't expect anything different.

"Greetings, Logan. I see you are awake and alert this fine morning after our little soiree last night?" Hank McCoy, aka The Beast, said jovially.

Meeting him in the great hall before the dining room doors Logan stood disheveled and weary probably wearing the same clothes as the day before. That alone was not what was shocking, however, and everyone knew he wasn't exactly the best morning person in the world but actually seeing him up this early was alarming and suspicious.

"Can it, Hank." He said instead.

He didn't know why he was so angry. He just was and he just chalked it up to lack of sleep and lack of sex. Spying on the Brotherhood hadn't helped and now he had to deal with the rest of the X-Men too.

It was too much for his cranky disposition and was leaning fast towards annoying.

He didn't want to get into it anymore so he tried to focus on lighting his cigar where once or twice he had to click his Zippo to get it working before it fired up. Taking a deep breath he inhaled the smoke and exhaled loudly.

The truth was he hadn't slept at all last night thinking about what he saw at the Brotherhood House and he really couldn't believe Hank could be as well rested and cheerful as he appeared to be.

"Mr. Logan?"

That was Kitty Pryde and as usual she was dressed and ready to go to school with her homework securely fastened inside of her pristine notebook holder. Between her and Piotr she knew she wanted to be Valedictorian of her class instead and right now it was a tight race.

"What?" He replied a bit gruffly.

He was still thinking about the Brotherhood when what he could really use was a beer or twelve but since it was only 7 AM he waited for coffee instead.

"Um, just surprised to see you up." Kitty said rushing past him towards the kitchen. As intimidating as he wanted to be all Kitty was thinking was that in a few more minutes the other kids would be on their way down and then she would never get the good toaster strudel or fresh coffee.

She never even gave him a second glance as she ran to the kitchen where she knew the breakfast would be waiting and the coffee would be brewing.

For his part Logan couldn't help thinking about the correlation between the two houses. As organized and militarily precise as Professor Charles Xavier's mansion could be he never would imagine Scott or Jean or even Kitty laughing and running through a water hose like he saw the Brotherhood doing yesterday.

For a moment they had almost seemed…happy.

"Good morning, Logan." Jean Grey said passing him.

She, for one, didn't seem at all surprised to see him up at this hour and it pissed him off to no end to know she was probably reading his thoughts or his mood.

In fact, that was what all the students said as they filed past him on their way to the kitchen. It was after all what all the students were expected to say to an adult like him.

And it was all Logan could do to not scream.

Pretty soon they would all line up like good little lemmings and pile into their nice and safety-approved mini-van on their way to their perfectly benign High School and learn how to be conscientious and respectful young adults without a questioning brain between the two of them where one of them would probably become valedictorian of the entire lemming race.

"Fuck." He said stamping out his cigar a bit too angrily.

With a purpose born of his anger he followed the kids into town.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Everyone knew about Ms. Darkholme's 'adopted' kids as much as they knew enough to call her _Ms._ Darkholme and no one questioned why. Like the military Bayville High chose a 'Don't ask, Don't tell' policy regarding their senior officials or their sexuality.

Therefore it was to the students of Bayville High's surprise to see the extra tall blonde and built man driving her car recklessly through the school's parking lot on his way to her reserved spot. With unreserved deliberation the blonde man careened into too small of an area without a second to spare as the 5 minute bell rang in the distance.

"Toldja we wouldn't be late." Creed grinned.

He was actually proud of himself for not losing his touch and for being able to drive something as ungainly and unresponsive as Raven's HumVee.

"Egads! Terra Firma!" Piotr exclaimed dramatically climbing from the back.

"Did we make it?"

"I think I'm gonna be sick."

"Dammit, Toad!"

"He really does look sick, Raven." Pietro said keeping his eyes on where Toad leaned up against the hubcaps. His normal color was a green/grey but now he was more green than grey.

"Suck it up, homme." Gambit said.

He already had his eye on the student body as they hurried past looking for Rogue in the gathering crowd. He didn't admit it but as soon as he saw her he tried to pretend like he was late for class and rushed towards where she was walking to the English building, nonchalantly bumping into her covered arms.

"Pardon, Cherie." He said charmingly.

As usual she just ignored him and kept walking with Kitty and Jean with nothing but a backward glance telling him that she even heard him.

"Weinie." Freddy snorted already on his way to gym class.

It was his most hated class of the day and he had it for first period and would probably stink for the rest of the day but he didn't really care. No one but the Brotherhood and Acolytes ever paid any attention to him anyway and he just wanted to get it over with.

"Da, I need to get to art class." Piotr said running off.

He was already making straight A's and on his way to joining the National Honor Society but he didn't want to push it. If he had any chance to show up that Kitty Pryde girl than attendance was especially important.

"Aren't you going to be late?" Creed asked Pietro. Besides him and Raven, they were the only ones left as the 2 minute bell rang.

"Me? Nah, I'm never late." Pietro replied and with that he sped off to the Science building and Biology.

"Damn that kid." Creed said.

He was always a bit cocky being Magneto's son and all but if he didn't watch it then their entire cover would be blown.

"Well, um, thanks for getting us to school on time." Raven said.

As comfortable as they were at home and with the kids they still didn't feel at ease when they were out in public together and it was a long pause before anyone spoke. Unlike the kids Raven didn't have to be in her office exactly on time and they stood like that facing each other for a moment.

"Yeah, you're welcome." Creed finally grunted.

He wasn't stupid enough to delude himself that he was still a bit on edge after yesterday but he just figured it was because he was outside of his comfort zone. As much as he hated to admit it being out in the real world still made him nervous and he couldn't shake the bad feelings he had just standing in a school parking lot.

Behind him he could feel a hundred teenage eyes staring at him and he had to laugh thinking about when they would probably make front page high school gossip but he couldn't help but lean back and kiss Raven full on the mouth while he knew everyone was watching.

In fact it was one of those criminal kisses he always thought of when you only had one kiss left to give in your life and with reluctance he held her jaw and broke free.

"I guess, I'll uh, see you tonight then." She whispered.

"Count on it."

Laughing Raven walked back to her office tripping over an uneven slab of concrete and waving him away while he stood by the car watching.

That would quiet some of the teenage rumors going around and he knew it.

Stepping back he waited for what he knew was coming.

He could smell the cigar smoke and stale beer before he even spoke. It was one of the advantages and disadvantages of his mutant powers. Like always the man reeked of it and it had been as much as a display for him as it was for the kids when he kissed Raven like that and he wasn't lying when he said it was a criminal kiss.

"Ain't that cute."

"Whaddaya want, Runt?"

In all honesty Logan couldn't say. Maybe he was looking for a fight and maybe he wasn't but the truth was that regardless of either option he knew Creed would be up for it. Standing here in the High School parking lot he had to think of how ridiculous they looked as if they would really have a knock down drag out right here.

In fact he didn't even know why he decided to follow the kids to school today now that he was here so instead he stalled.

"Nice haircut. Ya really think that's gonna help?"

"Kids seem to like it."

By that Logan knew he meant Raven.

The guy was always a bit too sweet on the slimy shape shifter (as he thought of her) even after all these years and everything she'd done to him. Why he didn't just gut her he had no clue.

For him he didn't think she was that great even after that one night at that motel room.* A nice lay and a great distraction when he needed it but that was about it.

For now, they stood side by side, one goliath of a man next to a shorter more compact man both with their arms crossed and staring at the school.

"Ain't none of yer business."

"Huh. Could've fooled me. Could smell that aftershave of yours a mile away. That a new thing too or you just like to keep up appearances?"

"Funny you talking about keepin' up appearances." He laughed instead.

Like with Raven, Creed had known Logan too long to pretend to be anything else but himself.

Unfortunately Logan failed to realize that.

It was hard to pretend to be something you knew you really weren't when confronted with someone that already knew your past.

In fact they were both so lost in their memories that they both jumped as the final bell rang indicating the start of the school day while a few late-comers hurried by intentionally keeping their eyes down and away from the two dangerous looking men standing in the parking lot.

"This ain't over Creed." Logan finished.

"Didn't expect it to be." He said.

With one final look of warning Logan throttled his motorcycle and sped away as Creed slowly revved the engine. Both men would be going back to what they both perceived as their quiet normal little lives but the story would be far from over.

To be continued.

_Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (East Berlin Police before the wall was torn down)-_Wiki Dork KSlycke

Wolverine #51


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